The Australia-Indonesia Development Cooperation through INOVASI: A Contribution to Improve the Quality of Primary Education in East Nusa Tenggara (2017-2019)

Abstract

The increase enrollment rates in Indonesia doesn’t have the equal impact to the quality of education. Proven by the PISA score in literacy, numeracy, and science where Indonesian students unable to meet the global average score and regionally. Particularly the disparity in East Nusa Tenggara where the illiteracy rates still high. Reflecting from the lack of financial and poor human resources, Indonesia needs to cooperate with more developed country and education experts to effectively solve this issue. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the contribution of INOVASI as a development cooperation program between Australia and Indonesia in improving the quality of primary education in East Nusa Tenggara, especially in terms of literacy and numeracy. Departing from the background, this study come up with the following research question of “How did INOVASI as the Australia-Indonesia development cooperation contribute to improve the quality of education in East Nusa Tenggara 2017-2019?”. The author will use the concept of Development Cooperation by using the five principles and twelve indicators of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness to analyze the contribution of INOVASI program to improve the quality of primary education in East Nusa Tenggara. The authors found that INOVASI program has positively contributed to improving the quality of primary education in literacy and numeracy by looking at the fulfilled nine out of twelve indicators of Aid Effectiveness, the early impact from the achievement of pilot programs, and the local government's commitment to replicate the pilot program to its education system and ensure the sustainability and maintain the success of pilot programs in East Nusa Tenggara.